Knowledge, preparedness, and attitude towards COVID-19 among health profession students in Sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the knowledge, preparedness, and attitude of health profession students towards COVID-19 outbreak in Sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used convenience sampling to recruit participants from institutions under African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth). The survey was developed in QuestionPro software covering the participants’ socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and preparedness towards the COVID-19 outbreak. Data were analysed and the association between variables was tested. RESULTS: The mean age of the 336 students was 25•75 (±7•88) years. Most (99•7%) knew the cause of COVID-19 which could be transmitted via droplets (97•3%). Several participants vowed to adhere to preventive measures (92•3%) and claimed their curriculum equipped them with skills addressing infectious disease outbreaks (63•6%). Nursing students were better prepared than other students (p=0•001). Students from West African regions were more prepared (p=0•001) and aware they could contract COVID-19 if they cared for infected persons (p=0•001). CONCLUSION: Students are knowledgeable about COVID-19, adequately prepared to handle epidemics, have a positive attitude towards infection prevention, and their training institutions and government have taken adequate measures to address the COVID-19 outbreak. FUNDING: AFREhealth